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Raul Castro visits 'nephew' Chavez

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-15 07:38

Cuban leader Raul Castro strengthened his relationship with his "nephew" and biggest benefactor, President Hugo Chavez, symbolically starting his first foreign trip as president in Venezuela on Saturday.

The two men share a rejection of Bush administration but are unlikely to become as close as Chavez is to Raul's older brother, Fidel Castro, who this year gave up the presidency due to illness.

Raul Castro, 77, worked in the shadow of his iconic brother for decades and is now seeking to boost his credentials as a statesman, as well as his country's trade, on visits to Venezuela and Brazil.

Since taking office in February, Raul Castro has bolstered ties with Russia and China and is now seeking to take advantage of Brazil's stated goal of boosting Cuban trade, especially in its oil industry.

Oil is also the focus of bilateral ties with Venezuela, an OPEC member. A Cuban delegation spent on Friday thrashing out plans for cooperation in the industry over a joint refinery and the development of offshore fields that Havana hopes can bring a boon to its economy that this year was hurt by hurricanes.